


have to be more

by verity



Series: tween wolf [45]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Pack Building, Pack Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 19:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verity/pseuds/verity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daphne Martin has 99 problems and every single one of them is Beacon Hills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	have to be more

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blue_rocket_frost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_rocket_frost/gifts).



Daphne has 99 problems and every single one of them are Beacon Hills.

"Burgers," she says to Derek when they wake up. Laura's still passed out, snoring.

Derek glances over to Laura and raises an eyebrow; Daphne shakes her head.

—

They wake up Laura long enough to let her know that they're going out—Derek scribbles a reminder on one of Daphne's black post-its with a leaking gold gel pen—and Daphne drives the Volvo out to Tastee Twirl. Derek has work tomorrow, so they can't spend all day out here looking at the dirty lakewater while they graze on fries, but it's a relief to be outside Beacon Hills, eating burgers, falling back into the comfortable rhythm of their friendship.

"We need them," Daphne says after burger #1. "We need the kids. Scott and Stiles and Erica and, ugh, Lydia. Allison if she's not dead or monsterfied or evil."

"No," Derek says.

Daphne kicks him under the table.

"No to Allison," he clarifies. "She's—"

"I _know_ what she is," Daphne says, impatiently. "I don't want her, either, but we need her. I can't imagine a better deterrent to potential poachers than having an Argent in our pocket."

Derek looks down, drags a fry through the mess of ketchup in the bottom of the basket. They've never talked business out here before, but they've never had to. The last five years haven't brought them anything Laura couldn't handle by herself; Daphne never thought of herself as Laura's second after she was rolled up into the Hale wolf-family burrito without much fuss. Laura and Derek grew up with their family as pack, but family and pack aren't mutually inclusive. Strategically, they can't keep holding out for the people Laura cares about if they want to protect their territory, let alone their home. Daphne can't just be Derek's friend and Laura's—whatever, and Derek can't be just a Fed-Ex guy. As a pack, they have to be more.

They can't do that on their own.

"You want me help you convince Laura," Derek says. "Is that—"

Daphne takes a deep breath. "I want to talk to you. We have to make decisions together—this has to be Laura's choice, too. She's our alpha."

"Our alpha," Derek says slowly, mouth turning up at the corner.

"Laura did everything alone before," Daphne says. "She doesn't have to."

There's not much Daphne knows about the Hale alphas before Laura, before Peter, how they made decisions or ran their pack. Laura and Derek don't talk about their family much—anecdotes, sometimes, or glancing references punctuated with bittersweet smiles. Nothing strategic. Laura was always supposed to be an alpha, but not like this; not without support. Which is telling enough.

"Let's go back," Derek says. "I want to—"

"Right," Daphne says, kicking his ankle more gently this time. They're not coy teenagers anymore; Derek's probably figured out that she likes him by now.

—

"Allison's possessed by a demon," Laura says. She's still in bed, but sitting up now, leaning back against the headboard. "Voluntarily."

Derek shoots Daphne a look that says, very plainly, _I told you so_. She rolls her eyes in response.

"That is a problem," Daphne says. "But we can—work around that, right? She owes you a debt, Laura, for not actually ripping out her throat, and if you give her protection—"

"I can't protect her, even if—" Laura's shoulders droop. "We're too weak."

Daphne crosses her arms. "Like I said."

Laura looks her in the eye, slowly, measured. This thing between them is new, kind of strange, but what's going on now isn't about that; it's so much more important. "I don't want to," she says.

"I don't think this is about what we want," Derek says, finally, sitting down next to Laura.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [ladyofthelog](http://ladyofthelog.tumblr.com) on tumblr.


End file.
